Brush making machine



June 1955 J. G. BAUMGARTNER BRUSH MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1951 INVENTOR. CZZUIZgCZLf'ILEI a a V. o o m. .Qm m gm J NW. mm RN mN k a @N a k 0 O 7 En mm. mm

June 14, 1955 J. G. BAUMGARTNER 2,710,774

BRUSH MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 2. 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

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June 14, I955 J. a. BAUMGARTNER 2,710,774

BRUSH MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 2, 1951 4 sheets-sheet s IN V EN TOR.

June 14, 1955 J. G. BAUMGARTNER BRUSH MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 2. 1951 JOE BY 0 W 105 United States Patent BRUSH MAKING MACHINE John G. Baumgartner, Oswego, Ill.

Application February 2, 1951, Serial No. 209,064

Claims. (Cl. 300- 4) This invention relates generally to brush making machines and more particularly to a brush making machine for automatically cutting bristles from long strands and inserting the same in a handle to form a complete brush.

Brush making machines for the manufacture of brushes having bristle tufts secured in a handle have been in use for many years, but such machines which have been automatic, or semiautomatic in operation have been quite complicated in construction. Also, machines which are designed for making a particular brush have generally not been adaptable for making brushes of different types and sizes. In making small brushes such as tooth brushes, denture brushes and the like, in which the bristles are made of nylon or similar material which is provided as long strands wound on spools, it is desirable to operate directly from the long strands and cut the same to form bristles, collect a bunch of bristles to form a tuft, and insert the same into a handle. Satisfactory machines to provide such operation without requiring any handling of the material by an operator have not been available. In many machines the operations must be interrupted while the handles for the brushes to be made are placed in the machine and the completed brushes are removed therefrom, thereby reducing the effective time during which the machine is productive.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved brush making machine which eliminates one or more of the foregoing difficulties.

It is another object of this invention to provide a brush making machine which provides a bunch of bristles of the desired length to form a bristle tuft from long strands of the bristle material.

A further object is to provide a brush making machine including means for feeding a plurality of strands together and cutting portions of a predetermined length from the strands to thereby form a bunch of bristles, which are applied as a bunch to the tuft inserting means of the brush making machine.

A still further object of this invention is to provide improved means for supporting a plurality of spools which carry the strands of bristle material so that the strands can be fed from the spools 'into the machine as a group where they are cut to provide a bunch of bristles.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a brush making machine having brush blocks for removably receiving handles while assembling operations are performed thereon with the blocks being arranged so that a portion of the handles therein may be replaced by the operator while operations are being performed by the machine on other ones of the handles.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a brush making machine having means for collecting a plurality of long strands of material from which bristles are to be formed together as a group, with the strands being fed together a predetermined amount to provide the desired bristle length, and then held and cut off, and thereafter transferred to the means for inserting the bristles into a handle.

2,710,774 Patented .lune 14, 1955 Another feature of this invention is the provision of brush making apparatus including support means for a plurality of spools holding strands of material having guides for controlling the feeding of the strands from the spools into a machine as a bunch, with the machine cutting portions from the strands to form a plurality of bristles of substantially the same length.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of a brush making machine in which a plurality of strands of bristle material are fed by means of intermittently driven rollers through a tubular member, which retains the strands in a bunch, to a severing mechanism which includes a hold-down portion for holding the strands in fixed position and a knife portion for cutting the strands while so held, with the strands then being moved as a bunch by a transfer arm to the means for inserting the bristle tuft into a handle. The rollers, hold-down portion, knife portion and transfer arm are controlled by a single shaft to insure operation in the desired relation.

A still further feature of this invention is the provision of a brush making machine including brush blocks for holding handles while operations such as drilling, tuft inserting, and the like are performed thereon, in which the block includes a plurality of retaining means each of which is arranged to support a group of handles so that the groups may be individually removed, and one group may therefore be removed while operations are being performed on handles of the other group.

Further objects and features, and the attending advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the mechanism for forming bristle tufts from a plurality of strands and assembling the same in brush handles;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating more in detail the mechanism for feeding and cutting the strands to form bristles;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the bristle cutting and inserting mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the means for transferring the bunches of bristles from the severing means to the inserting means;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view generally through the lines 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view along the line 66 of Fig. 3 illustrating the cutting mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a plan view along the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 illustrating the handle supporting block;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view along the lines 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view illustrating the driving means for the feeding mechanism; and

Fig. '10 is a fragmentary perspective view further illustrating the feeding mechanism.

'In practicing the invention there is provided a brush making machine including frame means for supporting a plurality of spools which carry long strands of material from which the bristles are formed. The frame includes guides for controlling the removal of the strands from the spools and causing the same to be fed into the brush making machine proper. The brush making machine includes a receiving portion in which the strands are collected, feeding means for the strands including intermittently driven rollers between which the strands pass,'and means for cutting off the portions of the strands fed as a bunch to provide bristles of the desired length. The cutting means includes a hold-down portion for securing the strands and a knife portion for cutting off the predetermined length. A transfer arm is provided for moving the bunch of bristles from the cutting means to the jaws which insert the bristles into the handle to form a tuft. Control cam means are provided for causing movement of the feeding means, the hold-down and knife portions of the cutting means, and the transfer means so that these various parts of the machine operate automatically in the proper sequence. A supporting block is provided for holding the handles while the bristle tufts are inserted therein and/or during other operations, which block includes at least two sections each of which supports a plurality of handles. The handles in each section are individually releasable so that while an operation is being performed on the handles of one section, the handles of the other section can be removed and thereby the work pieces can be changed without interrupting the operation of the machine.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is illustrated the brush making mechanism including the bank of spools containing the material from which the bristles are made. The spools 11 are supported on a frame in which are secured a plurality of pins 12 for supporting the individual spools. turns from being removed from a spool at a time a resilient arm 14 is provided on bracket 13 above each spool which bears against the edge of the spool. Also secured to the bracket 13 is a fixed arm 15 having a relatively large eyelet 16 at the end thereof through which the strand is fed. A small bracket 17 is secured to the bracket 15 and includes a small opening therein for guiding the strand being taken off the spool. The strands from the various spools are fed to a plate 18 having individual openings therein for the individual strands, with the strands then being brought together and fed through a single opening 19 in a bracket 20. The plate 18 and bracket 20 may be secured to the frame 21 of the brush making machine proper. This mechanism controls the removal of the individual strands from the spools and guides the same, and then collects all of the strands together to be received into the feeding mechanism. The strands are also fed through a small opening in arm 22 connected to switch 23, with any knot or the like in a strand pulling the arm to the left so that it operates the switch to cut off the machine.

The brush making machine is shown more in detail in Fig. 2 wherein it is shown that the plurality of strands are fed into a tubular member 25 which holds the various strands together in a bunch. The strands extend between rollers 26 and 27 which have resilient surfaces for gripping the strands extending therebetween for feeding the same. The strands extend from the rollers 26 and 27 through the tubular member 28 to a cutting mechanism generally designated 30. illustrated more clearly in Figs. 3 to 6 and 8 and will be described more in detail hereinafter. After the bristles are cut from the long strands they are transferred by the arm 31 to jaws generally indicated 32 which insert the same into handles 33 held in a brush block 34. The brush block 34 together with a similar brush block 35 are held on a carriage 36 which is mounted for movement in two directions so that various portions of the handle are in position to be operated on. The block 34 holds brush handles while bristles are inserted therein as previously stated and the block 35 holds the handles while the drill mechanism 37 operates to drill holes in the handles for receiving the bristles. It is therefore seen that the blocks 34 and 35 may move in exactly the same manner since the tufts are inserted in the holes which have previously been drilled in the handles.

As the mechanism for inserting the bristle tuft into the holes in the handle and the manner in which the anchor wire is applied for holding the tuft within the handle is fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,433,192, this portion of the machine will not be described in detail herein. Also, the detailed structure of the drill mechanism 37 is not a part of the present invention and will be illustrated and described in a general way only. It is to be pointed out that the drill is driven by a motor 38 and is provided For preventing a large number of This cutting mechanism is with a vacuum duct 39 for removing the drilled material from the brush making machine.

The feeding, cutting and transporting operations previously referred to are all controlled by the control shaft 40 (Fig. 2). The feeding rollers 26 and 27 are driven from the shaft 40 by a toggle mechanism including the crankarm 41 connected to the shaft 40, connecting rod 42, and arm 43. This mechanism is shown in detail in Fig. 9. A finger 44 is pivotally connected to the arm 43 and held by spring 45 in a position engaging the edge of the notched wheel 46. As the crank arm 41 rotates, the finger 43 will cause rotation of the notched wheel 45 so that this wheel will rotate through a predetermined arc. The finger 44 will slide over the slanting edges of the notches of the wheel 46 so that, when the arm 43 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the wheel 46 will not be driven.

On the shaft with the notched wheel 46 is a gear 47 (Fig. 2) which meshes with a bevel gear 4-8. T he gear 48 is connected to the same shaft with the roller 26 for driving the same, with the gears 49 and 50 driving the top roller 27 therefrom. The top roller 27 is supported on a pivoted arm 51 so that it may be moved out of position if desired. The arm 51 has an extension 52 connected thereto which is biased in a counterclockwise direction by spring 53 so that the resilient surface of roller 27 will bear against the resilient surface of roller 26 with the necessary pressure for providing the friction required to feed the strands. As shown in Fig. 10, the end of the member 25 which applies the strands to the rollers is flattened so that the strands pass through the rollers as a single layer. Each individual strand is therefore fed so that the entire group of strands are fed together.

For adjusting the length of the strands which is fed by each operation, crankarms 41 having different lengths and wheels 46 having notches of different extents can be used. Also, the connecting rod 42 is connected to the arm 43 in a slot 54 so that the amount of rotation of the notched wheel can thereby be controlled. It is therefore seen that the amount of rotation of the rollers 26 and 27 can be controlled to control the length of the strands fed.

The severing or cutting mechanism for providing bristles of the desired length is best illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 and 8. As best shown in Fig. 8, the tube 28 through which the strands are fed terminates in a member 55 having a flat surface against which a knife 56 operates. The strands are fed across rails 57, 58 and 59, with a hold-down member 60 being provided above the rail 58 which has a resilient bottom surface 61 for engaging the strands and holding the same firmly against the rail 58. A stop 62 is provided to limit the movement of the strands, which thereby serves as a gauge to determine the proper length.

As previously stated, the feeding mechanism can be adjusted to control the length of the strands fed, and the knife 56 and stop 62 are adjustably positioned with respect to the rails 57, 58 and 59 so that strands of different lengths are properly positioned thereon. The position of the knife may be changed by shifting the position of the bracket 63 which supports the cutting mechanism on the frame. As illustrated in Fig. 2, this bracket 63 has slots 64 therein so that it may be moved longitudinally of the machine. The stop 62 is likewise adjustably supported, having a supporting bracket 77 adjustably mounted on the frame portion 78 by a bolt 79 positioned in a. slot in the bracket 77. It is to be pointed out that the stop 62 does not stop the feeding of the strands but helps to hold the cut bristles in position, and may serve as a gauge in setting up the feeding mechanism.

The operation of the hold-down and knife portions of the cutting mechanism is best illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. The hold-down portion 60 is pivotally connected to the frame at (Fig. 4) and is spring biassed to a holding position by spring 66 operating against pin 67 which engages the projecting surface 68 on the holddown. A sidewardly extending projection 69 is positioned to be engaged by a pivoted arm 70 pivoted to the shaft 71. This arm is connected to arm 72 having a cam follower 73 connected thereto engaging the cam 74 on the shaft 40. The arm 72 is normally held biassed in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 76 so that the arm 70 bears against the projection 69 and holds the member 60 in a raised position against the tension of the spring 66. However, when the enlarged portion of the cam engages the follower 73, it causes the arm 70 to be rotated in a clockwise direction to a position to release the projection 69 so that the hold-down member 60 is biassed by the spring 66 into a position against the rail 58. The hold-down 60 is shown in the holding position in Figs. 3, 5 and 8 and in the raised position in Fig. 4.

The knife portion 56 is secured to an arm 80 which is also pivoted on the shaft 71. The arm 80 is driven from the arm 74) through pin 81 secured to the arm 70 and operating in the opening 82 in the arm 80. The opening 82 is of larger diameter than the pin 81 so that some lost motion is provided therein which results in the arm 70 moving enough to permit release of the hold-down 60 so that it moves into a position holding the strands before the knife portion 56 moves to the position for cutting the strands. This is best illustrated in Fig. 5. It is to be noted that the raised portion 75 on the cam 74 has a short extent so that the knife is immediately withdrawn and the hold-down is immediately moved to its raised position whereby the cut off portions of the strands or bristles are free.

After the bristles of the desired length have been cut off, they are moved by the transfer arm 31 in a position to be engaged by the jaws 32. This mechanism is best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 with the transfer arm 31 being pivotally connected at 85 to arm 86 connected to the frame through the pin 87. The arm 86 is driven by a connecting rod 88 connected to the arm 89 which is pivoted to the frame by the pin 90. The arm 89 has mounted thereon a cam follower 91 which engages the cam 92 also mounted on the shaft 40. The cam follower is held against the cam by the spring 93 connected to the arm 89. As the cam 92 rotates, the transfer arm 31 is moved to the right by action of the spring 93 so that the cut-off bristles are picked up between the extension 95 and the prong 96 of the end of the transfer arm and moved to a position to be held by the jaws 32. As previously stated, the jaws 32 for inserting the bristle in the handle may be of a construction illustrated in my prior patent and may operate in the manner described therein. It is believed sufficient to state that the jaws move downwardly to place the bristles against the handle 33 mounted on the block. 34, and the plunger 98 forces the bristles and the anchor wire into an opening in the handle to secure the same in the handle as a bristle tuft. An arm 99 may be provided to move other tufts out of the way as described in my prior patent.

The construction of the block for holding the handles is illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7. The block 34 includes a front portion 100 having recesses 101 therein for receiving the heads of the brush handles. Overlapping edges 102 are provided extending over the edge of the head-of the handle to hold the handle in position on the block. These edges may be curved about the bristle openings in the handle to facilitate insertion of the bristle tufts therein. The handles are held in the recesses in the front portion of the blocks by fingers 103 engaging the rear ends thereof. These fingers are spring biased by springs 104 to hold the brush handles firmly in positions in the block, with control handles 105 being provided for moving the fingers 103 out of engagement with the handles of the brush. For holding the back ends of the brush handles at the proper level, a bar 106 is provided on which the rear ends of the handles rest.

It is apparent from Fig. 7 that the arms 103 are pro vided on two separate shafts which are biased by individual springs 104. This permits the brush handles in one section of the block to be released while the others are held firmly in place. In the machine disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, the carriage holding the blocks is moved in two directions at right angles to each other to position the handles of each section in a plurality of different positions for inserting the bristle tufts therein. It is therefore apparent that when the machine is operating on the handles in one end of the block, the handles in the other end may be replaced so that handles on which holes have been drilled, or in which bristle tufts have been inserted, can be removed and replaced by other handles on which these operations have not been performed. This'permits the machine to operate continuously, with certain of the handles being changed while other handles are worked on, and therefore no time of the machine is lost while the operator changes the workpieces. It is apparent that by using brush blocks of different constructions, handles for brushes of various sizes and types can be supported therein. This permits flexible use of the brush making machine.

It will be apparent from the above that a brush making machine has been provided which is particularly adaptable for making small brushes wherein material provided in long strands is used as the bristles. The machine is particularly adaptable for use in making brushes having nylon bristles as this material is normally provided in long strands and it is difficult to handle the material after it is cut in short lengths such as are required for the bristle tufts. The machine operates automatically to feed the desired lengths of the long strands, hold and cut off the portions fed, and then transport the bunch of bristles so formed to a position to be received by the jaws for inserting the same into a brush handle as a bristle tuft without requiring any handling of the bristles by the operator. The machine includes blocks for holding the brush handles while the bristle tufts are inserted in the handles (or for other operations) which permit changing of the handles by the operator while operations are being performed on other brushes in the same block, and therefore the machines may operate continuously without any time being taken out for changing the parts being worked upon.

It is apparent that by changing the brush blocks, adjusting the feeding and cutting mechanism, and properly controlling the movement of the carriage holding the brush blocks, the machine may be used for making brushes of various types and sizes. The feeding of the long strands, the cutting thereof to form bristles, and the transferring of the bristles to the jaws are all controlled by a single control shaft so that these various operations are performed in the proper sequence and the machine may therefore operate very rapidly to provide bristles from long strands and insert the bristles in brush handles.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been described which is illustrative thereof, it is obvious that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the intended scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a brush making machine including means for receiving bristles and inserting the same in a handle, the combination including, means for holding a plurality of long individual strands of bristle material, tubular means for receiving said strands and holding the same in a bunch, controlling shaft means having cam means thereon, a pair of rollers having resilient surfaces for receiving said strands therebetween, means connected to said shaft means for intermittently driving said rollers for feeding predetermined lengths of said strands, severing means for cutting said predetermined lengths from said strands to form bristles, said severing means including a hold-down portion, a knife portion, and an operating portion connected to said cam means, said hold-down portion having spring means for biassing the same into a position engaging said bunch of strands and projecting means engaged by said operating portion for releasing said hold-down portion from said engaging position, said operating portion including means operatively connected to said knife portion, and transfer means connected to said cam means for moving said bristles to said receiving means.

2. In a brush making machine including means for receiving bristles and inserting the same in a handle, the combination including, means for holding a plurality of long strands of bristle material, tubular means for receiving said strands and holding the same in a bunch, controlling shaft means, a pair of rollers having resilient surfaces for receiving said strands therebetween, means connected to said controlling shaft means for intermittently driving said rollers for feeding predetermined lengths of said strands, severing means including a hold down portion, a knife portion, and an operating portion connected to said controlling shaft means, said hold-down portion having spring means for biassing the same into a position engaging said bunch of strands and projecting means engaged by said operating portion for holding said hold-down portion away from said strands, said operating portion including means operatively connected to said knife portion, said operating portion being moved by said controlling shaft means after said rollers have fed said predetermined lengths through a position which allows said hold-down portion to engage said strands, to a position in which said knife portion severs the fed portions of said strands to form bristles of said predetermined length, and then to a position in which said knife portion is withdrawn and said hold-down portion is released from said bristles, and a transfer arm connected to said cou trolling shaft means for moving said bristles to said receiving and inserting means.

3. In a brush making machine including means for receiving bristles and inserting the same in a handle, the combination including, means for holding a plurality of long strands of bristle mat: tubular means for receiving said strands and holding the same in a bunch, controlling shaft means, a pair of rollers having resilient surfaces for receiving said strands therebctween, means connccted to said controlling shaft means for intermittently driving said rollers for feeding predetermined lengths of said strands, severing means including a hold down portion, a knife portion, and an operating portion connected to said controlling shaft means, said hold-down portion having spring means for biassing the samc into a posi tion engaging said bunch of strands and projecting means engaged by said operating portion for holding said holddown portion away from said strands, said operating portion including means operatively connected to said knife portion, and a transfer arm connected to said controlling shaft mcans for moving said bristles to said receiving and inserting means, said controlling shaft means being of such configuration that said rollers are first driven to feed said predetermined lengths of said strands, said hold-down portion then engages said strands, said knife portion thereafter cuts off said bristles from said strands, said hold-down portion releases said strands and said transfer arm then moves said bristles.

4. Apparatus for feeding a plurality of strands to a machine in which the strands are fed and cut to provide short length, said apparatus including in combination, frame means, supporting means on said frame for holding a plurality of reels on which the strands are wound, brackets supported on said frame adjacent said supporting means including resilient retaining means for holding the strands on the reels, guide means on said brackets including openings through which the strands from the reels are individually fed, and second guide means adjacent said machine including a plate having a plurality of closely spaced openings for individually receiving said strands and tubular means having a single opening therein through iii) which all of said strands are drawn for collecting said strands together in a bunch.

5. A block for holding a plurality of elongated brush handles having head portions on one end thereof While operations are performed on said head portions, including in combination, plate means having recesses therein for receiving the heads of said handles, and movable means engaging the ends of said handles opposite to said head end for holding said handles in said plate means, said movable means including first and second as en- 'olies each including arm means engaging a portion of said handles, spring means for holding said arm means against said handles and operating means for releasing said arm means, said arm means of said first and second assemblies being separately operable whereby the handles engaged by the arm means of each assembly may be released to permit removal of said brush handles without causing movement of said arm means of the other asscmbiy.

6. A block for holding a plurality of elongated brush handles having head portions on one end thereof while operations are performed on said head portions, including in combination, plate means having recesses therein for receiving the heads of said handles, said plate means having portions engaging said handles on all sides thereof at said head end to prevent movement thereof other than sliding movement of said handles in the longitudinal direction, and holding means for holding said handles in said plate means, said holding means including first and second assemblies each having arm means for individually engaging said handles at the ends thereof opposite to said head ends, spring means for holding said arm means against said handles, and operating means for releasing said arm means, said arm means of said first and second assemblies being separately operable whereby the handles engaged by the arm means of each assembly may be released to permit removal of said brush handlcs without causing movement of said arm means of the other assembly.

7. Apparatus for feeding a plurality of strands a prcdetermined length including in combination, means for holding a plurality of individual long strands, means for collecting said strands together, a pair of rollers having resilient surfaces, means biassing said rollers into ongagement with each other, means for applying said strands to said rollers in a single layer so that each strand is directly engaged by both rollers, and means for providing a predetermined rotation of said rollers.

8. A brush making machine including in combination, spool means for holding a plurality of individual elongated strands, means for collecting said strands together into a bunch, means operating intermittently for feeding said strands together a predetermined length during each operation, cutting means for severing the fed portions of said strands at the predetermined lengths, said cutting means including a portion for receiving the fed portions of said strands, means for holding said strands and means for severing the same, means for holding a brush handle, movable gripping jaw means, and transfer means for moving said severed fed portions from said receiving portion of said cutting means to a position to be received by said jaw means, said jaw means gripping said severed fed portions and inserting the same in a handle as a bristle tuft.

9. Apparatus for feeding a plurality of strands together for a predetermined length including in combination, means for holding a plurality of individual long strands, means for collecting said strands together, a pair of rollers having strand engaging surfaces at least one of which is resilient, biassing means connected to at least one of said rollers tending to hold said surfaces of said rollers in engagement with each other, tubular means for guiding said strands to positions between said engaging surfaces of said rollers, said tubular means having a flat dis- 3 charge end for applying said strands to said surfaces in a single layer so that each strand is directly engaged by both rollers, and means for providing a predetermined rotation of at least one of said rollers.

10. In a brush making machine including means for receiving bristles and inserting the same in a handle, the combination including, means for holding a plurality of long individual strands of bristle material, means for receiving said strands and holding the same in a bunch, a pair of rollers having resilient surfaces for receiving said strands therebetween, severing means for cutting predetermined lengths from said strands to form bristles, means for intermittently driving said rollers for feeding said predetermined lengths of said strands to said severing means, said severing means including a hold-down portion and a knife portion, said hold-down portion having spring means for biasing the same into a position engaging said bunch of strands and release means for moving References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,052 Black May 3, 1921 1,424,545 Yaeger Aug. 1, 1922 1,712,216 Jobst May 7, 1929 1,886,638 Burton Nov. 8, 1932 2,035,709 Laub Mar. 31, 1936 2,317,401 Hall Apr. 27, 1943 2,455,759 Gregory Dec. 7, 1948 

